Touched by a Butterfly
by nekomiao
Summary: A story about the meeting between Byakuya and Hisana. No spoilers or anything.
1. Chapter 1

Slender fingers curled around the soft wood of the balcony railing as a tall slender man stood in his noble white robes. His hair was neatly styled in a fashion befitting one of class and elegance. A soft sigh brushed past his lips as he remained where he stood, cold blue eyes staring into the streets past the walls of his world. Byakuya was one who was of the traditional lines of upper-class family. He was bred and raised within the walls of his royal home, only venturing out to seek the glory of battle and then returning home to the drab of structure and obedience. He took a sip of the cooling cup of herbal tea which sat not far from the tips of his manicured fingers.

There hasn't been any excitement in Byakuya's life for a long time now. The last touch of excitement he felt was during his adolescent years when it was fun to court the ladies of his class and learn the skills of battle. It wasn't long before he realized, however that such ladies were tame and identical to one another. Much like the battles he fought to defend the honour of his name and the justice of the city. All monotonous, reptitive and drab. There had to be more to life. Long eyelashes fluttered to conceal those blue orbs as he remained standing there, those thoughts mulling over in his mind.

It was these thoughts, day after day that made Byakuya stand on that balcony, almost as if he were seeking something. Wanting something more than what he was given. And it was on that very day a few months before that his desire was granted. A young girl, quite possibly his age or just that slight margin younger crossed his line of vision. She was dressed in an old-fashioned torn pink kimono, one that she quite possibly never changed out of except into something more torn and tattered so she may wash what she was wearing. However it wasn't her apparel which interested him, it was her expressive features which one never did seem to see in the realms of his world.

The way in which she laughed, or walked. The way in which her eyes sparkled as she turned to notice all the minute things in the world that others took for granted. He had gone back into the courts that day a long while ago to have another look at the women of his class after seeing that street girl and the women seemed like drones in comparison. As soon as he entered the courts they would flock to him with their cold, lifeless eyes and hollow laughter. Their beautiful clothes wasted on those bodies which had been trained to act in a certain manner.

Day after day, he would watch for that girl again but she only every crossed his path that one day a week. It had become a ritual for him. A cup of tea, his long white robes and the vision of beauty which he would have given up his fortune for if only he could just watch it day, after day...after glorious day. That one moment had become his fuel, the way in which he could empower himself to survive on and continue with his routines. The same routine every single day, except now for this one event every week.

He sighed quietly to himself again as he watched her once more, the same intriguing gait, that face which didn't smile visibly but with the eyes that showed all the joy in the world. It appeared as if she were missing something in her life, something she had loved being left behind and that one thought made Byakuya wish with all his might that he may just be able to fill that void just for her. Just to see a truthful smile. He longed to reach out to her, that beautiful forlorn street dancing butterfly.

And just a week later, on that very day, he did. _Hisana._


	2. Chapter 2

A small man delicately perched on the edge of his seat in the gardens, sakura petals falling on his white robe as a gentle gaze watched the room in which she had last slept. Finally he had managed to get his family to accept her completely but it was only during those last moments in which she received that satisfaction. They had fought so long and hard to achieve that moment, and it was as if that moment satisfied her spirit in such a way that she felt ready to continue her journey. Shimmering blue eyes closed against the scene as his mind replayed the soft melody that she used to play on her tattered bamboo flute. She never told him where the tune came from, or how she had come to know it.

Byakuya leaned back in his seat, soft pink blooming over his robes as the petals continued to fall, the soft music playing in his ears amongst the silence of the courtyard. He could feel her touch on his hand during those last moments and the whispered words of her voice. Her final wish in which he may satisfy her soul as she departed. The music rose to a heartbreaking high as a soft trickle began to run down his right cheek. It had taken him so long to break into her mind and find out why she had that void within her. He had spent so long trying to delve into her deepest of emotions.

_Rukia..._ She had whispered to him as he hand lay gently within his. Her soft gentle hand and her sweet fading scent which he had wanted to be lost in for eternity. He had waited so many years for a person like her to fill _his_ void. He had watched her for far too long before deciding to intervene in the scene before him. A part of him pained upon the realization that if he had just worked up the courage to speak to her sooner. If he had used the battlefield courage that he had obtained in areas other than bloodshed. _My sister..._

The notes tremored for a moment as if the instrument could barely contain the passion in which she played, Byakuya felt another stream begin its slow trickle. A shudder ran down his spine as he sat, his breath emanating the same shudder as he exhaled slowly in a vain attempt to wash away these strong emotions. She was his streetdancing butterfly. So beautiful to watch as she moved along the streets but such a fleeting soul. She had stayed just long enough to bring beauty into his life, just enough to touch him in a way he would never forget. _I loved her..._

Blue orbs opened once again to breathe in the scenery around him. The yard was almost a sea of pink now, compared to when he first sat down. He could still see her gentle figure, moving around the yard as she played that flute. The music continued. Sobs began to wrack the small frame of his as he allowed himself to cry. For the first time in many years he allowed himself to express the rawest of emotions. _I love you..._ The silent tears felt like they would never end. And if they never did, it wouldn't have mattered to him.

As the music began to to reach a crescendo, the man felt as if he wanted to scream for it to stop for a moment. Allow him to lament in silence for the dearly departed. fingers curled into the palm of his hands threatning to draw the very essence of his life to bloom with the petals as they fell to the ground. Then he stopped...the music grew louder once more, the same tune and the same sombre lilt. Somebody else knew the tune that Hisana expressed. Another soul not far from his home could express the same dear emotions his departed love had shown. A flick of white could be seen as the pink fell awayto the ground and the tears dissolved in a show of determination. He had found her void. His life ambition of filling the void of his streetdancing butterfly, shall now be duly carried out with the will of a soldier and the love of a man. _Please tell her I'm sorry._


End file.
